Tales of the Celestial Kingdom is a stunning group of short stories split into three parts: Dusk, Twilight, and Dawn.

Dusk is the prequel and contains stories about Chang’e and Houyi. Twilight has stories that happened during Daughter of the Moon Goddess and Heart of the Sun Warrior. Here, we get POVs from Liwei, Wenzhi, and Shuxiao! Finally, Dawn is an epilogue to the duology and I’m so glad this was included because oh my gosh! The Xingyin story was so heartwarming! I continue to be in complete awe of the beauty of Sue Lynn Tan’s writing and her ability to make me feel completely immersed in the world she created.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the ARC!

Loved this so much! The illustrations complimented the stories well and were beautifully drawn. I love that we were able to get more insight into characters/situations from the previous books all in one place. I would recommend anyone who read Daughter of the Moon Goddess and heart of the Sun Warrior to also read this for a complete understanding

I loved being back in the celestial kingdom. Both works prior to this one had me utterly entranced and captivated.
I liked to get to see things from different povs and get an expansion on some of the details brought to life.
I love sues style of writing and I think she does a fabulous job crafting her stories.
Im sad to be leaving this realm but cannot wait to see what is next.

I loved this novella. I love the world and the characters, the writing is beautiful. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC

I had barely closed the book on Sue Lynn Tan's "Celestial Kingdom" duology when I found this one. I was so excited when I learned there was more to come - to know more about where it all began for Xingyin, Liwei, and Wenzhi. "Tales of the Celestial Kingdom" was a wonderful addition to a captivating story - the images created for this book were absolutely beautiful, too!

Dusk

This section is essentially the "how it all started", featuring Houyi's legendary showdown with the ten sunbirds and Chang’e's rise to goddess status. If you've ever wondered about the bedrock of the duology, "Dusk" lays it all out. It’s like finally getting the backstory to your favorite superhero – except better, because there are gods and sunbirds and magic.

Twilight

We're thrown into the thick of the duology, but this time through the eyes of Liwei, Wenzhi, and Shuxiao. It was really exciting to get these other perspectives in a story that I already loved. Wenzhi, in particular, gets a moment to shine here, adding layers to his character that I didn't I was missing from the duology.

Dawn

Finally, "Dawn" serves as the cherry on top of this literary sundae. Acting as an extended epilogue, it ties up loose ends and gives us a glimpse into the 'what comes next' for Wenzhi and Xingyin. After all the battles and everything, it's comforting to see where they landed and what their lives might look like.

A Must-Read

Sue Lynn Tan’s "Tales of the Celestial Kingdom" really reads like a love letter to her fans. It’s a collection that not only expands on the universe of the "Celestial Kingdom" duology but does so with the same grace and artistry of the original series so that it feels like discovering the series all over again.

Coupled with Kelly Chong’s breathtaking illustrations, this book is an experience! I will definitely be buying a physical copy just for that reason.

If you loved daughter of the moon goddess and wanted more after the duology, then this is perfect! It was beautifully written as expected with colorful and sweeping descriptions. I can tell the author loves writing these characters and their stories. It provided little snippets here and there that just added more to the story! I highly recommend!

It feels so so good to be back in the DOTMG world!!! These stories were just as well written as the duology, and the cover is absolutely stunning. I will read anything she writes!

I enjoyed this collection of stories overall. My favorite part was actually the illustrations. They're stunning!

I particularly liked the Dusk section of the book because its stories felt more like folklore or mythology. They held the most magic for me.

The ones in the Twilight section were enjoyable in that they gave new perspectives of what happened during the duology. I particularly liked Liwei's stories.

The stories in Dawn made me feel a little sad, and the narration of "Sun Moon Teahouse" felt really formal and distant compared to the rest.

This is a great read for those who may want to see the story from the duology from different perspectives or who want more of an epilogue.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Voyager for an ARC in exchanged for an honest review.

Thia was 3.5-4 stars for me!

I absolutely loved the beginning of the Immortal Realm story and the impeccable world building. I am always blown away to read a good fantasy book built around the world and it's characters.

This book gives the backstory we lacked in the duology and I'm so happy I took the time to read it. This was full of spoilers from the duologue so read those first, but I really enjoyed discovering more of the world of the Immortal Real..

I can't even begin to describe how much this world means to me. Daughter of the Moon Goddess was such an amazing novel and the second book Heart of the Sun Warrior is easily in my top 10 favorite books of all time. I was dying to get my hands on this and I am so beyond grateful that I did. Thank you Sue Lynn Tan for being such a beautiful writer, I will always hold this world and these characters close to my heart. If you ever want to come back again I will read literally anything I just need it to keep going forever. These shorter stories were so perfect to me because we got to see some of the most important moments from the books but in a detailed present viewpoint. This makes me feel so warm inside I could gush on and on about these books for hours.

Absolutely stunning, just like the first two books that came before.
Sue Lynn Tan has quickly turned into one of my favorites authors -- i shall buy whatever she writes forever. Her way of weaving a story is lyrical and beautiful, and I could just live in this world forever.

This was everything we needed in every way. I loved that we did get to see more of Xingyin of Wenzhi outside of battle and kind of see the domestic life that they now have. The new perspectives does give us as readers new insight on the inner feelings of these characters as well. That was kind of nice to see. And as before, I don't think Sue Lynn Tan can write anything bad. It was so enjoyable, beautiful, and just so worth the wait. I won't lie though. While I do love Xingyin and Wenzhi and glad that Wenzhi is able to finally experience real love with someone like Xingyin, but Liwei.. We do get some closure but ugh, my heart breaks for him. What he did for them was so selfless. He deserves everything. I hope that we eventually get to have an extended story for Liwei after everything.

This is a little add on to the Daughter of the Moon Goddess duology which I was super excited about. I love the duology and missed the characters. This book, however, is not a third book in the series rather it is a compilation of complementary short stories told from the point of view of various characters. I admit that I did not get as drawn in to these stories as I felt reading the duology, however there is a chapter that is an epilogue to the duology which I really enjoyed. I still wish there's was a third full length book to the series but I enjoyed the other perspectives this book revealed and the little update to the end that we get in the epilogue.

If you liked the Daughter of the Moon Goddess duology, definitely read this one even if only for the epilogue.

The epilogue was beautiful and perfect and after finishing heart of the sun warrior and bawling my eyes out during chapters 35-37 it was exactly what was needed.

Beautiful short stories that provide insight, breadth, and depth into the Celestial Kingdom duology. I think a tandem guide needs to be created stat for readers to utilize as I think it will leave them (& me, who am I kidding—multiple rereads will occur) fulfilled with the story and the ending will hurt less.

I am incredibly thankful I was blessed with this collection of short stories to let me revisit a world I’ve deeply missed.

Tales of the Celestial Kingdom by Sue Lynn Tan is a short story companion collection to the Celestial Kingdom Series. You definitely must-read Daughter of the Moon Goddess and Heart of the Sun Warrior first because the stories take place before, during, and after the duology.
 
I absolutely adore this world and was delighted to return to it. The nine short stories were each stunning and provided a new or more detailed perspective and that in addition to the gorgeous illustrations by Kelly Chong was a wonderful combination. I especially loved the stories that took place before Daughter of the Moon Goddess and you get to see more of Xingyin‘s parents.
 
This is a must read for all Daughter of the Moon Goddess fans. 4 stars.
 
(ARC kindly provided in exchange for a review.)

I am deeply grateful to Avon and Harper Voyager for granting me the opportunity to immerse myself in this captivating set of short stories to supplement the original duology. Each moment spent with my favorite characters was a delight, thanks to the wonderful snippets provided. The closure I experienced was immensely satisfying, leaving me with a sense of fulfillment. I’m already contemplating a reread just to relish every moment once more!

Tales of the Celestial Kingdom is a collection of stories best read while reading Daughter of the Moon Goddess and Heart of the Sun Warrior. The stories can be read on their own, but I think they will have the best emotional impact when interwoven with The Celestial Kingdom. That being said, I absolutely loved this little collection - especially the couple stories told from Liwei's POV. Ugh, my heart still aches for him. The epilogue was perfection and what, I'm sure, everyone has reallyyyy been wanting to read. The addition of illustrative work by Kelly Chong for each of the stories really enhanced the reading process. I'm so happy I got to revisit this world and look forward to more stories from it!

4.5 stars

Thank you NetGalley and Harper Voyager for the ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I found the variety of tales within the book to be both captivating and fulfilling. I appreciated how each chapter neatly wrapped up its storylines, providing closure for the main characters involved.

While the storytelling is commendable, some essential chapters, particularly those focused on Houyi and Chang'e, might have been better placed in the first book of the series. The true epilogue to Xingyin's journey, however, was a welcome and satisfying conclusion, tying up loose ends.

Tales of the Celestial Kingdom by Sue Lynn Tan is such a fun addition to this duology. It's short and sweet, making it a great follow-up that I personally needed after the end of Heart of the Sun Warrior. The illustrations in the book really bring the story to life and give you a deeper peek into the amazing world Tan has created . The four POV characters each have their own distinct voice, making them feel unique and real. I loved each and every short story in this novel, but I had an obvious favorite. This is a formal thank you Sue Lynn Tan for the not one but TWO Wenzhi POVs. They were absolute perfection. And the Xingyan epilogue made my heart so FULL. Even though I'm greedy and could read hundreds of pages of fluff and magic from this world, Tales of the Celestial Kingdom left me happy and content.